A D.C. woman said a cab driver with a broken meter overcharged her, then locked her in his car when she refused to pay.
Katie Wakins has filed a police report regarding the incident last month; she had asked to be driven from Adams Morgan to her home less than a mile away on a Friday night. The cab driver told her his meter was broken, overcharged her, then locked the doors when she refused to pay.
"He intensely looked me in the eyes and said, 'I'm not letting you out until you give me what I want,'" Wakins said.
She eventually paid for her fare out of fear, and filed a police report as the cab driver left. She said he was driving a car with Maryland plates -- it would have been illegal in the first place to pick up a customer up in D.C. with those tags.
"It's a terrifying thing to have to go through," Wakins said.
D.C. Council Member Mary Cheh said the same thing happened to her daughter last year -- her cab driver demanded cash and locked the doors when she said she only had a credit card. He then drove Cheh's daughter to an ATM blocks away.
"I feel frustrated. I feel this is something that should be taken more seriously," Wakins said.
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D.C. police are investigating Wakins' case, but caution anyone who gets into this kind of situation should immediately call police.
